Euro 2016: Winners and Losers from Saturday's Qualifiers
Another whacky evening of Euro 2016 qualifiers provided us with goals, entertainment, shocks and much, much more.
Germany put seven past Gibraltar, Poland ripped Georgia apart and Cristiano Ronaldo pretty much single-handedly hauled Portugal past Armenia.
The key result on Saturday was Scotland's 1-1 draw away to the Republic of Ireland, enabling the Scots to keep a good grasp on a qualification spot and keep the Boys in Green at arm's length.
Scotland manager Gordon Strachan was especially pleased with his side's performance and point, telling Sky Sports:
"We are still in with a good chance of qualifying. And after the amount of games we have played, to have a good chance is terrific from the lads.
After our first-half performance, which could have been better, we were decent in the second half.
I was happy in the second half when the game died down and we had some good possession and frustrated them. The goal right after half-time gave us a huge boost.
"
Here, Bleacher Report picks its winners and losers from the night's action.
Winner: Cristiano Ronaldo
1 of 5
Those who claim Cristiano Ronaldo carries Portugal will be feeling rather vindicated, as the Real Madrid forward bailed his nation out of a potentially humiliating loss to Armenia by netting a hat-trick in his side's 3-2 victory.
The Portuguese were behind, playing against the minnows, and looked firmly second best throughout the first half. Bruno Alves and Ricardo Carvalho were Portugal's best players in the first 45 minutes, which tells the whole story.
But then Ronaldo took over. Again. He netted a remarkable hat-trick, including one strike that soared into the top of the net from distance. He cupped his hand to his ear after completing his trio, mocking those in the crowd who had been trying to goad him by chanting, "Messi! Messi!"
Loser: Martin O'Neill
2 of 5
The Republic of Ireland failed to overcome a resurgent Scotland on Saturday, drawing 1-1 in a game that was close to a must-win.
It's far from what the Boys in Green wanted, but it's not a disaster—for the team, anyway. Ireland manager Martin O'Neill, on the other hand, continues to feel the pressure steam his spectacles. This result only increased the number of questions over the job he's doing.
In the aftermath of the result, the Guardian's Ewan Murray expressed concern that the Ulsterman's career is "petering out" and that the classic "MON effect," oft seen at club level, has been largely absent on the international stage.
Is patience wearing thin?
Winner: Mesut Ozil
3 of 5
Germany beat Gibraltar 7-0 on Saturday night to ensure their challenge on Poland at the top of Group D remains serious. They leapfrogged Scotland into second place too.
Max Kruse grabbed a brace, Karim Bellarabi and Ilkay Gundogan netted and Andre Schurrle notched a hat-trick, but the best player on the pitch was arguably Mesut Ozil.
He managed a trio of assists as he ruled the midfield, putting poor Gibraltar to the sword and stretching them to the breaking point a number of times. When he's in the groove—as he has been since January—he's impossible to stop.
He's come a long way from suffering at the hands of Daily Mail campaigns asking what use he has and being the butt of every joke at the World Cup despite winning it and starting every game.
If he can continue this form into the new season for Arsenal, their title challenge will be one step closer to accomplishment.
Winner: Robert Lewandowski
4 of 5
Poland played Georgia in what was, on paper, one of the most one-sided clashes of the day. It's not quite Gibraltar versus Germany, but it's close enough.
Given Poland began the round top of Group D, it was a real surprise to see Georgia hold them off for a full hour. But after Arkadiusz Milik finally broke the deadlock, the walls came crumbling down, as Robert Lewandowski bagged a four-minute hat-trick at the death to pad the 4-0 scoreline.
The Pole moves onto seven goals from his six games to the top of the UEFA scoring charts. After a difficult end to the domestic season, fluffing chances as Bayern lost to Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals, this will be a welcome reprieve for Lewandowski.
Loser: Greece
5 of 5
Greece drew one of the easiest groups possible in an enhanced Euro 2016 qualifying campaign, and yet they sit rock bottom after six games.
Losing both your fixtures against the Faroe Islands—including a 2-1 defeat on Saturday—suggests all is not well.
Greece have scored one goal in 560 minutes of football and look all but out of contention to travel to France in June 2016. This does not reflect well on new coach Sergio Markarian, but much of the blame lies with former boss Claudio Ranieri.
